A Reunion of Iraqi Imagination; An Iraqi family of three artists, living in different continents, united in one Gallery

September 22 through September 29, 2012Curated by one of the artists, Suhad Turayhi

Opening reception on Saturday September 22nd, from 6:30 till 8:30pm,
and a closing reception on Saturday, September 29th from 2:00-4:00pm.

Each artist left Iraq for different reasons and each of them continues to follow their passion in art. After several decades, they are meeting in New York to bring their art together and tell their story in their artwork.

Hassan Massoudy (My Uncle): Immigrated to France 1968:
Hassan Massoudy was born in Iraq in 1944, and at the age of seventeen, he began working with calligraphers in Baghdad for eight years. In June 1969, he attended the Fine Arts School in Paris, France and has lived there ever since.

Massoudy's creations came out from the meeting of the past and present, Eastern art and Western art, and tradition and modernity. He has perpetuated the tradition of calligraphy craft while also breaking tradition at the same time. Massoudy simplifies lines, tending to purer lines and adding color. In his work, Massoudy introduces signs, letters, words and sentences, at times borrowing from famous poets and great writers like Schiller or Khalil Gibran.

Awes Al Jidd (My Nephew): Immigrated to U.A.E. 2007:
Awes was born in Baghdad in 1972. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Art majoring in Ceramics and he earned a diploma from the Academy of Occupations and Popular Arts in 1991. In the Present time Awes live in the United Arab Emirates.
His first exposure to art was through his aunt, Suhad. From the time he was 7 years old, he fell in love with art. Awes’ artwork is a representation of the situations he lived through. The environment in Iraq was so devastating that it forced him to explore and express his feelings through art. He uses expressive style in all of his pieces and encases Babylonian symbols and some ancient heritage figures into his artwork. Awes uses fish both literally and figuratively as a metaphor that refers to human life and evolution. He also uses the land and river to relate to the significance of livelihood in ancient Iraq. And he used the brief travel briefcase to refer to unsettled circumstances in the Arabic world. He is still looking for a place to settle in.

Suhad Turayhi- Immigrated to USA 1978:
Suhad was born and raised in Baghdad. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Art, University of Baghdad 1976. In 1980, she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois-Chicago. Suhad became a fully licensed interior designer with National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) Certification in 1987.
Her artwork is the reflection of the effect of two cultures on her evolving perspective. Her artwork is transcendentalism, but there is also a hint of folk style, in the lack of perspective; strong symbolism favoring spirituality, dreams, and the imagination. Confessional art in that it relies on knowledge of one’s own life. Through her art, Suhad expresses her feelings towards nature, music, and dance as well as social issues and political events.